Accoona reinvents Internet search
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-03-08 14:55

Accoona Corp., a pioneer in the application of artificial intelligence to Web search, unveiled March 8 search functionality that dramatically improves the quality and relevance of Internet-based data search and retrieval.

"From this day forward, Internet search will never be the same," said Eckhard Pfeiffer, Accoona chairman and former president and CEO of Compaq Computer Corp. "With Accoona, high-quality, relevant results are delivered instantly, saving consumers and businesses time and money."

Former US President Bill Clinton (left) shakes hands with Eckhard Pfeiffer, chairman of Accoona Corp., in New York at the launch ceremony of the search engine in this December 6, 2004 photo. Clinton performed the first Accoona search with Pfeiffer. [chinadaily.com.cn]

Pfeiffer and other Accoona executives made their remarks at a press event hosted by Accoona at the United Nations.

The company's search engine portal, www.accoona.com, has been significantly enhanced to offer users two distinct sets of functionality: 

The "News" function enables users to instantly cross-reference their search keywords to a suite of frequently used data-search categories.

The "Business" function enables users to cross-reference keywords to a database that melds Dun & Bradstreet's extensive database with Accoona's own database of business information, totaling more than 60 million businesses worldwide.

The News and Business function buttons enable users to instantly focus and refine the results presented to them with a simple mouse click.

In the News function, Accoona provides users with a set of eight drop-down buttons that enables them to:
* Prioritize the Results. Refine the results by prioritizing the words in their original search phrase.

* Refine by Time Period. With a mouse click, access keyword-relevant data published at various time periods, from within the previous hour to more than 30 days ago.

* Refine by News Organization or Media Outlet. Refine the results by selecting specific media outlets from a database of thousands of news organizations.

* Refine by Company Name. Find related companies for News and Business search by accessing Accoona's proprietary database, totaling more 60 million companies. Included is Dun & Bradstreet data, which provides free access to such company information as yearly sales, the number of employees, and a contact name and phone number.

* Refine by Country. Refine the results by selecting media outlets from a specified country.

* Refine by State. Refine the results by selecting media outlets from a specified state.

* Find People. Refine the results by cross-referencing to a list of people who are mentioned in searched articles.

* Determine the Type of Media. Narrow your search to a specific type of media, including text, audio, video, picture and graphic.

In addition, Accoona executives revealed that the company will soon unveil a new model of online advertisement. Thousands of major advertisers and advertising agencies have already signed letters of intent to participate, according to Stuart Kauder, chief executive officer of Accoona.

"Our artificial intelligence capabilities enable us to offer advertisers a compelling and unique value proposition, in terms of matching search queries to their products and services," said Kauder. "Here, too, Accoona will redefine the commercial model of Internet search."

Guest speaker Paul Hoffman, acclaimed technology author and journalist, noted that "Accoona will be especially useful to journalists, who often work under extremely tight deadlines. The Accoona search engine has enabled me to find source material I couldn't have located otherwise."

Accoona has an agreement with China Daily Information Company to become the preferred search engine portal across China for the next 20 years on an exclusive basis. Already one of the most frequently used search engines in China (www.accoona.cn), Accoona has licensed its English search engine to Sina, China's leading online publisher and to Sohu, China's largest portal.

Garry Kasparov, world chess champion, is a shareholder and consultant. He cites the application of artificial intelligence as a key advancement in Web search technology. "After my many high-profile battles with supercomputers, I am acutely aware of the artificial intelligence component and the learning capabilities it enables," Kasparov said. "Accoona is the leader in combining artificial intelligence with effective Internet searches."

Based in Jersey City, N.J., Accoona is dedicated to enhancing the quality of online searching by creating sophisticated artificial intelligence search technologies that provide users with a richer and highly relevant search experience. The company has more than $100 million in financial backing from private investment funds and strategic business agreements with Dun & Bradstreet, Euro News, FAST Search and Transfer, GuruNet, Moreover and Yahoo!.